The Customer

OTE Group is one of Oman’s largest business groups, specializing in the exclusive distribution of automotive brands, parts and accessories, as well as consumer electronics and home appliances. The group exclusively represents General Motors, Hyundai Motor Company, ISUZU Trucks, SsangYong Motors, Subaru Automobiles, Chery Automobiles, Shell Lubricants, Hankook Tires, Pirelli Tires, AC Delco Parts, LG Electronics, White‑Westinghouse and Bosch Home Appliances, among others. The group has offices, showrooms, service centers and retail outlets across Oman. More than 2 500 employees hold various positions, from management to support technicians.

OTE Group is one of Oman’s largest business groups, specializing in the exclusive distribution of automotive brands, parts and accessories, as well as consumer electronics and home appliances. The group exclusively represents General Motors, Hyundai Motor Company, ISUZU Trucks, SsangYong Motors, Subaru Automobiles, Chery Automobiles, Shell Lubricants, Hankook Tires, Pirelli Tires, AC Delco Parts, LG Electronics, White‑Westinghouse and Bosch Home Appliances, among others. The group has offices, showrooms, service centers and retail outlets across Oman. More than 2 500 employees hold various positions, from management to support technicians.

Business Challenges

Before 2016, OTE Group primarily used Microsoft Lync for internal communications. The main problem was the inability to migrate the Lync 2013-based IP telephony system to Skype for Business Server (SBS) because the existing phones did not support SBS. This limitation created a dependency on the phone vendor for compatible firmware. OTE used IP phones from several vendors, and having multiple Microsoft-certified partners further complicated the situation. The main challenges were:

  • Switch to a phone system compatible with multiple phone brands
  • Avoid costly Lync licenses
  • Reduce the time and human resources devoted to managing phone systems
  • Implement a professional phone system that is easy to maintain

Given the nature of their partnerships, the need for a state-of-the-art communications system was critical. Having already deployed Sangoma Session Border Controllers (SBCs) with their Lync infrastructure, OTE Group knew the quality and resilience offered by Sangoma solutions. They were impressed by the versatility of the products and their ability to scale. In 2016, the company decided to implement a Sangoma phone solution—including FreePBX, commercial modules, IP phones and gateways.

Sangoma Solutions

Sangoma solutions deployed at OTE include approximately 340 Sangoma VoIP phones (mainly the s500 and s300 models). OTE has also installed several FreePBX 60 systems, a Vega 3000 gateway, and several commercial FreePBX modules such as Endpoint Manager and Extension Routing. Sangoma phones integrate with FreePBX like no other device. FreePBX phone applications are available immediately on Sangoma phones without an additional license. Users can control complex functions such as call parking, call monitoring, do not disturb mode, conference rooms, call transfer, time conditions, presence, queues, queue agents, transfer to voicemail, visual voicemail, etc. directly from their phone without memorizing codes.

Sangoma’s Endpoint Manager proved extremely useful for auto-provisioning and managing multi-vendor phones in the OTE environment. FreePBX modules were deployed to implement critical features for enforcing certain organizational policies. For example, the Extension Routing module enabled them to easily control the calling capabilities of each extension. With this module, they could restrict who could make international or mobile calls, etc. OTE had several legacy fax machines that were at risk of becoming obsolete. They were integrated into the company’s IP network using Sangoma’s Vega gateway.

Sangoma solutions deployed at OTE include approximately 340 Sangoma VoIP phones (mainly the s500 and s300 models). OTE has also installed several FreePBX 60 systems, a Vega 3000 gateway, and several commercial FreePBX modules such as Endpoint Manager and Extension Routing. Sangoma phones integrate with FreePBX like no other device. FreePBX phone applications are available immediately on Sangoma phones without an additional license. Users can control complex functions such as call parking, call monitoring, do not disturb mode, conference rooms, call transfer, time conditions, presence, queues, queue agents, transfer to voicemail, visual voicemail, etc. directly from their phone without memorizing codes.

The Results

The complete deployment of Sangoma solutions, including FreePBX systems, commercial modules, Sangoma VoIP phones, gateways, and SBCs, gave the OTE group the control it needed to manage its internal phone systems. In addition to obtaining a world-class communications system aligned with the company’s ethos, the customer found a lasting solution to the business challenges it faced:

  • Exceptionally low costs, because installing FreePBX systems and phones requires a small one-time investment and no additional licenses or renewals.
  • Endpoint Manager, with its auto-provisioning, firmware update, and extension move management features, makes phone system management remarkably simple and requires little maintenance.

The OTE group is extremely satisfied with its phone system and plans to extend it to its other offices, giving each the opportunity to move from analog telephony to IP telephony and thus obtain a modern, contemporary, and superior business communications solution.